Hybrid
by Enhanced Genetics
Summary: Darkstalker's punishment was necessary, and perhaps cruel. Now Peacemaker stumbles upon an enchanted earring from all those years ago; the ones empowered to break any spell ever cast by Darkstalker. So the prison crumbles; after all, his jail was made through his own magic. Draws heavily upon knowledge presented in Darkness of Dragons. Spoilers.


**Hybrid:**

The sound of heated metal, clanging after each rise and fall of the hammer, shook the air. Yet all of this sound was pushed away by the thundering beat of his heart.

Peacemaker stood ready to finally make peace with his aching chest. His claws clenched tightly against a strawberry-red case, a glittering ruby hidden inside. With wavering confidence and a shallow breath, he began to walk forward.

There was nervousness in his step, a slight tremble in his talons. The soft quivering of claws against stone floors only added to the clamor of noises echoing through the cave.

 _Clang! Thump! Click!_

Still, Peacemaker drove himself forward, forcing himself to his destiny. The only part of his body that didn't seem to be shaking was his right forearm, which clutched the case with determination that'd ward off even the most skilled cutpurse.

He hobbled forward through the lengthy shadows, the fires of her forge drawing him closer. Before long he reached a bend in the path, the stone walls arcing to his left. Here the clanging of metal against metal reverberated through the air with an intensity as strong as his thrumming heart.

Just behind this bend hid his love. Just behind this small curve hid the pulse in his heart and the blood in his veins.

The village blacksmith was this and more.

Taking a small look around the entrance of her humble shop, he saw the light colors of fruit and vine. He'd helped her plant those, their tails intertwined as they curved and weaved the strands of vine into patterns and shapes.

They'd each shared little pieces of themselves with each other; he had always relished her little trinkets and metal figurines, and in return, he gave woven tapestries and daily baskets of his favorite treasure: strawberries.

Ah, strawberries, their sweet nature and beautiful variety of marbled colors… _A lot like Treedancer,_ he mused. _She's—_ he cast a glance down at the case his right talon was so strongly clutching— _she's everything I could ever wish for and more. My soon-to-be wife…_

He cast one more glance around the room, reflecting on the evenings they'd spent down here laughing and cuddling with each other, hiding from the forest's harsh downpour. He thought of the little soul-shattering moments they'd had together, holding their bodies close and looking into the other's eyes.

"I love you," he remembered Treedancer whispering for the first time. With their foreheads pressed together and eyes melding under their undying affection, Peacemaker had whispered the same.

After that night they'd always been together, always been close, both physically and mentally. Before that day their relationship had often been in the shadows, though now they danced around each other like songbirds in the summer.

They could often be seen around the forest grounds, tail intertwined and claws held. They shared little symbols of affection. And now, here in his talons was the greatest he could offer, the unspoken, soon to be spoken line running through his mind again and again and again.

 _Will you marry me?… Will you marry me?… Will you marry me?..._

He silently fretted the possibility of her denying his advances. He felt the embarrassment and betrayal that would wash over him if that future every came to fruition. _Would she really deny me?_

 _No._ She'd say yes. He knew she would, just as he would if she asked him. Swallowing his pride and anxiety, Peacemaker stepped around the bend into the dancing light of Treedancer's home.

The rhythmic clash of a hammer to an anvil came to a halt as he stepped through the cave entrance. His shadows had probably flickered against the walls, warning Treedancer to his presence.

Her snout wore a forced smile, probably expecting to add the commission of an impatient customer to an already long list of them. When his face pressed around the bend, however, her entire expression lit up.

Her cheeks suddenly rose to an endearing smile and her pupils seemed to double in size. Peacemaker felt like he could melt in the gentle caress of her stare.

At the feeling of the unrestrained love that washed over him, suddenly he wasn't so nervous about the ordeal. He would ask her to marry him, and she'd say yes. Of course she'd say yes.

 _Right?_

"Finally finished mooning over the Strawberries and come to see little old me?" The comment could've been turned bitter by anyone with foul intent, though the way she'd said it—playfully with that beautiful, entrancing gleam in her eye—showed only a gentle light-heartedness.

"We all know I prefer obsessing over you."

"Hm," she hummed with delight. "Is that so?" Her expression shifted to one of false exasperation. "I precisely remember me all by my lonesome after _you_ left me to go strawberry hunting alongside Blight and Maroon." She pouted dramatically. "And then I was left to do all this metal work _alone_ , none able to cure me of my stress."

Peacemaker fainted forward in false duress. "Oh, Treedancer, will you ever forgive me?"

"After what you did," she gasped and looked away, "there's only one thing you could do to make up for it."

"Oh," He leaned forward and brushed her with his wings, though made sure to keep his right forearm hidden, "and what is that?" He slowly lowered his head to come into contact with hers. He twined their tails together unconsciously.

"You could," she breathed slowly, eyes dropping to a half-lidded state. "You could… stop hiding whatever that is in your grasp." The second part came out as deadpan.

"Umm… whaddya mean by _that_? Hehe… hehe." He gulped nervously, his eyes drifting off somewhere behind Treedancer. The silence hung for some time as a rosy-pink tinge began to dance like a nebula across his hybrid scales.

Casting a quick glance over to Treedancer's face, he could see as she seemed to clamp her mouth shut in an effort to suppress a giggle.

Humming slightly, she took a step forward and lunged for the case-bearing forearm, talons outstretched. Peacemaker had only a second to react, twirling his body away from the lunge. His mate's talons fell short.

Groaning, she looked him in the eye and pouted dramatically, "Won't you just marry me already my little Fruitwing?"

Peacemaker's eyes shot open and he stammered out a reply, ignoring the all too form-fitting 'Fruitwing' quip. "But—but, how did you know?"

She chuckled slightly, quickly closing the distance between them. "You've been fawning over me for the past… _well_ , forever and you are simply _terrible_ at hiding secrets!" Her claws reached out to clutch the talon which held the strawberry-red case.

She slowly pried it from his grasp and clicked open the lid, revealing a thin, circular band of silver tied to a rich shade of crimson. The ruby atop the small ring shone like a Skywing's scales in unrelenting sunlight. The silver band was wound into little patterns, displaying all sorts of little images. The strawberry and hammer were his favorite.

His eyes flickered from the ring to Treedancer, whose face seemed to be contorted in awe. His talon reached out to rest against her cheek, causing her to look up with mirth in her eyes. "So… Treedancer, will you marry me?"

She tilted her head endearingly. "Do you really need to ask?"

It was Peacemaker's turn to pout, face dropping into a pleading frown. Though internally he was radiating with joy, a form of passion building in his heart.

" _Sigh_." Treedancer leaned forward to connect the two dragons' mouths in a sweet kiss. Their bodies swayed in harmony, and Peacemaker tried to step closer to further their oral embrace, but Treedancer quickly broke their sweet affections, taking her lips from his.

"Yes, Peacemaker, yes I will _._ " Silence reigned before she pulled herself forward, removing what little distance remained between them until their chests touched.

Peacemaker opened his wings to envelope Treedancer. Her warmth was what he first felt, and as he tilted his head to gaze into her eyes, what Peacemaker felt made him shudder in barely contained delight—relief, peace, and compassion, all washing over his shimmering scales as he stared, lost in her resonant irises.

Seconds and minutes ticked by as each struggled to understand their new sense of meaning, and all the while they swam in each other's expressions of the heart.

With slight mourn, Peacemaker felt Treedancer's chest expand and watched as her mouth began to open, preparing to break the silence he'd enjoyed so profoundly. He didn't want the quiet embrace to be grounded by their simple tribe-life reality. But he let her open her mouth knowing that he'd find just as much affection in her words as her silent cuddles. _Almost as much. I love her cuddles a little_ too _much._

Treedancer distanced herself from Peacemaker, it was only a single step, though he already yearned for her to be close once again.

"I—I have something I want to show you something," she turned before pausing, "...and no, it is _not_ my bed."

"My heart…" He whimpered, willing tears to appear in his gaze. Treedancer just rolled her eyes at his antics, causing a smirk to pull at his lips.

"Anyways, sexual tensions aside, let us be off." She swung to a different angle and started moving forward. Her lithe body entranced Peacemaker as always, and he watched the subtle sway of her hips as she led him deeper into the caves.

His thoughts couldn't help but turn to the ring, which it appeared Treedancer had slid on during their embrace. He slowly reflected on being _finally_ married. It was something Treedancer had been pushing for them to do for a long period of time.

He had always shrugged it off, putting it on the to-do list. But finally he'd overcome his irrational fears, if only for a moment, allowing him to add the most beautiful jewel in the world to his hourd: _her_.

 _Married though… I wonder what our dragonets will be like. I'm sure that they won't retain many Nightwing genes._ His hybrid traits would be smothered by the infinitely more cute curves of the Rainwing body.

 _Here's hoping they have a good life, I know Treedancer will be an amazing mother, but ME! Please, I'll be—_

"Ow." Treedancer laughed as he crashed into her from behind after she'd stopped walking. "I know you're eager, but this is just pitiful."

Peacemaker groaned as he picked himself off the ground he'd flopped onto. "So what is it you wanted to show me?"

His mate looked at him, a gentle frown on her features. "Yes, yes." She turned toward an array of organized sculptures and tools alike; they were the fruits of his wife's labor, her precious, even if meager, armory.

He recognized the various projects he'd seen her pounding away upon across his time with her. Here hung: a sculpture dragon head, a small dagger with intricate designs across its blade (which was more suited for efficiently bisecting coconuts than a dragon, as was the Rainwing way), a few more logical tools such as pickaxes or axes (the Nightwings were so insistent on deforestation while so neglectful of proper smithing, so, Treedancer had decided to support them in their endeavour, providing them with actual tools, despite her firm distaste for the chopping of trees), etc.

"What's all of this stuff for?"

Treedancer looked back at him for a second before turning back. "Oh, this and that." She moved forward to a small alcove in the wall of metal. "But _this…_ this is what we're really after." Her talons wrapped around something small, which hid in the shadows.

Peacemaker leaned forward to gaze at whatever she held. In Treedancer's palm lay a dark amber circle. Sand-like tones and the telltale gleam of an enchanted item glittered across the ring's surface.

"Wait," Peacemaker stumbled back, "are you telling me that you planned to propose to me as well?"

His lover engulfed him with her wings, giving him a gentle kiss on the muzzle. "Of course I was, you were taking just _forever_ to ask. So, I thought I'd do it first...

"Do you like it though?"

"Do I like what?" he questioned slowly.

"The ring silly," she giggled slightly. "I made it from one of those earrings they so earnestly gave out all those years ago. I thoughts the magic-infused metal looked _stunning_ against your scales. The way it shines like a star in the sky… I thought it would look perfect on you."

"I—I don't know what to say… thank you."

Treedancer rolled her eyes and laughed again before leaning in, haughtily whispering, "Kiss me, you handsome idiot."

He leaned in and let her guide his snout to hers. He just embraced his wife as he felt her talons feel up and down his neck. He simply enjoyed her soft lips and heated breath. The affections drew to a close, and Peacemaker let his head rest against Treedancer's.

He gently stroked her neck with his free talon.

Never before had he felt so at peace.

* * *

Mosquitoes and mud clung to his scales as he trudged through the rainforest, unable to surf the trees the same as the Rainwings with his Nightwing tail. Fortunately, only one of those two things were searching him for exposed veins. Unfortunately, those veins were only located in his eyes and mouth.

He swatted another time at the growing swarm of insects, trying to ward them from his quite sensitive visual organs. He'd ignored them for a decent period of time, giddy with joy from both Treedancer's and his confessions. _Who woulda thunk she'd propose to me after I proposed to her?_ He giggled slightly but immediately coughed out a few black bugs.

"Vile beasts," he croaked, but swiftly shut his muzzle before he had to deal with another load of the little invaders.

He continued on his way, attempting to annoy them the best he could, which wasn't very well. Before long they'd begun to swamp around his wings in an attempt to raid the membrane for any free blood.

He tried to hit them with some air currents through the mad fluttering of his wings, though one was restricted by the vine basket wrapped around it, so it did little to perturb the mosquitoes on that side.

Within the basket lay Treedancer's enchanted ex-earring. For no particular reason, he'd yet to put it on.

Throughout the trek through the rainforest, yelps of suffering via bugs could be heard. Especially when Peacemaker tripped directly into a bog chalk full of the diminutive beasts. Stumbling through the final shrub, he groaned deeply in his suffering. Another flash of his fire dropped a small swarm of the demons dead upon the ground.

Rubbing his head with a free claw, Peacemaker recovered from his dangerous quest before groaning miserably. _Why didn't I just fly here?_ True, he couldn't just surf atop the trees like the pure Rainwings, but he could've just flown above them as his destination was entirely outside of the actual jungle.

He now stood atop a hill, the sky above, blue with the occasional lazy cloud, looked picturesque alongside the green vegetation across the fertile knoll. Here Peacemaker went searching for his berries every day, and even his marriage wasn't going to change such an important piece of who he was. It was like how he'd never come between Treedancer and her craft.

Pushing himself uphill, Peacemaker took a moment to enjoy the aromas surrounding him: the grass gave off a calming freshness while the breeze played across his nose, pleasuring him through touch more than scent; the berries themselves had a tinge of sweetness, adding flavor to otherwise plain air; the wet ground gave off an odor which drove him to reminisce on the days of squishing through mud muddle after mud puddle after unfortunate situation with quicksand after mud puddle alongside his mother, Hope.

He gave a small chuckle, envisioning himself thigh deep in that accursed stuff, calling out to his mother for help after he'd mistaken the quicksand for another puddle. He'd gone right back to jumping into the mud after he'd escaped the 'sands' confines.

While shaking his head in the humor of his younger self, Peacemaker brought the basket down from his wings before going to work, checking the various bushes across the hilltop for strawberries. He'd memorized all the areas where they grew and occasionally went out hunting for them with his friends.

For now, he was alone, though earlier Hope had offered to join him after she'd heard of his marriage and regaled him with all of her knowledge upon the subject. The amount she'd known struck him a relatively odd, as Hope had never been with a mate for long. His father hadn't stayed with her after the egg had hatched.

Shrugging it off, Peacemaker continued his calming work. He loved to slow down every once in awhile and hear the birds chirp, various wildlife rustling the surrounding plant life, and occasional Nightwing yell into the heavens their cries for retribution against Queen Glory, though those had died out a while ago.

The Nightwing village itself had grown nicely, their clearing in the middle of the rainforest becoming quite populated. A small city had sprung up, and they'd even begun to construct Rainwing-styled treehouses across the area. A new segment was being built to connect the two tribes homes with a market.

Another strawberry fell into his skilled talons as he trimmed the bush of its precious fruits before laying them into his basket. Before long, a humble mountain of the fruits had appeared within the depths of the entwined vines.

A glint caught Peacemaker's eyes as he lay yet another berry into the basket; the enchantment of the ring, adding a layer of luster to its surface, had begun to dance with the sunlight.

Another smile pulled itself across his lips, masking the calm expression he'd adopted across his labor. He moved a few berries out of the way before grabbing the ring delicately, as if afraid he'd break it.

Beautiful, if simple designs glinted in the sunlight. It truly was magical…

Peacemaker imagined his ring on Treedancer's talons, radiant in the forge light. He laughed to himself as he took the object in his left talons' hold while one of his right claws began to move toward where he held it, intent on wearing the ring his wife had made for him.

It felt cold as it slid around his claw, surprising him, though he tucked the worry away. He smiled at it, turning his claw to view the creation from different angles. Treedancer had been correct; it complemented his scales wonderfully.

Putting his talon down, a goofy grin across his muzzle, he turned back towards the strawberry bushes, intent on collecting more of the rubies. He palmed another one, turning toward the basket to lie another gem within, though his talon began to quiver madly.

He dropped the berry as his talon hold slackened, and he made to grasp his shaking forearm as a spike of pain shot through it. The effects began to spread across his body, and worry began to plague his mind. His eyes darted first towards the direction Treedancer lived, though the cave entrance was covered completely by hundreds of trees. They then turned towards himself.

Peacemaker felt an overwhelming amount of confusion wash over him as his limbs seemed to expand and his scales shifted from their gem-like-scale studded nature to a pure ebony. _What… what's happening?_

He felt horror and then he felt the surge of memories barrage his mind. _Clearsight! Foeslayer… or was it Hope?_ Another wave of confusion hit him. His memories suddenly conflicted, overlapping images of his childhood; one memory was positive, and another was just short of terrible.

 _And Clearsight… how could he ever forget about Clearsight?_ Her bright and beautiful scales shimmering along with her pearly white smile—reflecting such joy and brilliance. The way her scales shone in the forge light— _wait, that's not Clearsight, that's Treedancer._

His mind revolved in figure eights.

Was his mother Foeslayer or Hope? Was he the son of Prince Arctic or was the son of an unknown, though kind Rainwing? And most importantly, did he love Clearsight or Treedancer?

 _Clearsight! I have to resurrect Clearsight._

 _But what about Treedancer? You're married to her, you can't just run!_

 _But I could have her again, all I have to do is find the right spell. With magic, I could bring her back._

 _Or I could give it back and return to Treedancer, I love her. I don't need magic._

 _But what about Clearsight?_

 _I don't need her, I have Treedancer._

His mind flashed back to the Night Kingdom, where he'd been crafting his salvation. Fierceteeth was useless; all the times he'd attempted to make even a semblance of Clearsight's grace and brilliance out of her, he'd failed utterly. _No, she failed, not me. That dragon is good for nothing, nothing but a waste of space and vile—_

 _No dragon's useless,_ some part of his mind interfered.

 _Maybe you're right..._

Darkstalker and Peacemaker's realities clashed. Their memories swirled together like a hurricane. They slowly began to mix.

The gaps in Darkstalker's life were slowly filled. Suddenly, through Peacemaker's memories, he had a loving mother who'd never disappeared. His ambition for power had dissipated after his abilities disappearance. Suddenly he had a conscience. Suddenly he didn't strive for strife in Icewings but loved all the tribes with a curious passion.

Much of Darkstalker remained, but suddenly he was whole. His new life had relieved him of the rotten wounds his soul had always harbored.

And Moon… it was all because of Moon and her funny little friend Kinkajou. Some rage flashed through him at her betrayal. He felt like roaring to the skies, but as quickly as the anger arrived, it dissipated.

 _I… I forgive them. I forgive them all… especially you Clearsight._

He thought back to his experiments on Fierceteeth. _Of course I couldn't find the Clearsight I loved…_ He adored the way Treedancer would challenge anything that seemed wrong to her. She'd fly into battle against a thousand animuses if they dared touch a sloth in an even slightly malevolent manner.

Darkstalker smiled sadly. _It's not just the endless love and adoration of Clearsight that I fell in love with, but also all of her perfect imperfections._

He loved the way she had always strived for him to be his best self and the constant challenge of pleasing her without his foul magic. _That_ was why she'd fallen apart when she discovered the 'only see the good in me earring'. _That_ was why he'd been betrayed.

 _It was because I failed to see who she really was, just seeing who I wanted to see._

This entire epiphany crashed on Darkstalker in a single instant. He felt dread, guilt, and shame at his actions. He collapsed to the ground, not feeling worthy of the power bestowed upon him.

 _It was all my own fault… why couldn't I see it?_ An inferno of raw rage and hate washed over him. But now, now he couldn't do anything. There was no scheme to devise, no great enemy to defeat, and no continent he wished to conquer. Darkstalker, the most powerful dragon in all of Phyrria, felt defeated, and the only thing his hate could fall upon was himself.

He'd wished so greatly just to bring his magical world of peace and beauty into fruition that he'd not only harmed the seven tribes, but he'd brought the most pain to the ones closest to him.

In that moment, that time of self-hatred and misery, Darkstalker felt he needed to cast a spell. He felt that he needed to end whatever monster he'd become before he could harm anybody else.

He thought of the mocking spin of his soul reader, remembering the pain he'd felt after he'd realized he'd become worse than even that soul-wrenching dragon he called his father.

He thought of how he'd betrayed Moon, seeing a bright future for himself, but still turning his back on the only friend he'd had since Fathom… _All I do is bring pain to the ones I love_.

Tears welled up in his eyes. He opened his palm to the air, mentally summoning the reader from wherever Qibli had hidden it.

The hourglass popped into the air in front of him and his talons quickly closed around it. He raised the small thing into his view, gazing upon the black and white sands. It had obviously been spun since he'd last used it, as the sand no longer reflected the dark as the minority.

Whoever had last used it, either Turtle or Anemone, was almost entirely good. Darkstalker felt his head drop further in shame. _So good, so pure… and I, I tried to kill them._ He remembered the boulder he'd thrown at the Seawing siblings in the carnage of the Battle of Jade Mountain. _Moon's friends, all of those closest to her, and I still tried to hurt them._ Shame fell on him for the last time. He reached into the furthest corners of his mind, finding the words for the spell. The words that would finally release this world of him… the spell that would finally kill the Darkstalker. After all, right when he'd eaten that enchanted berry, all his immortality spells had been dropped. All it would take to fall into the void was a little push….

As the lines came together, and he opened his mouth to utter the final spell, the memories most important to him were dredged up. He saw his life flash before his eyes; he saw an image of Treedancer.

"Yes, Peacemaker, yes I will _." The look on her face, of complete and utter mirth. He felt himself exploding with blossoms of happiness and pride so intense, it hurt. He wrapped his wings around her body, sharing his warmth and love. He looked her straight in the eyes and saw no regret, saw no sadness, just the unrestrained joy of the entire situation._

 _He felt so right, so loved in her embrace. He never wanted to go back, he never wanted to leave, he just wished to always be here, by his mate's loving side._

"Treedancer," he breathed, "I—I couldn't leave her alone." He felt another wave of shame at himself coming so close to ending it all and harming yet another he loved.

He looked back to the soul reader and reached out a trembling talon to grasp its edge before focusing the device on himself. He used it just as he had in that ravine prison all those years ago. The thing spun and spun, slowly coming to a halt; the shifting sand stopped in a mix Darkstalker had never expected to see again.

The black sands, contrary to before, held the majority. It didn't remain as undiluted black sand, as the previous user's spin had been, but it was definitely more than two thirds pure.

Darkstalker collapsed, letting out a wretched breath, or border-line sob. A whimper of relief and disbelief fell over him. He reached out tentatively, picking the meter up and seeing that he appeared to be rid of the scourge that'd plagued his mind. Still, though, he lay the meter down once more and respun it, desperate to see whether it'd simply made an error. It was too good to be true.

It spun and spun, before landing in the same percentages as before.

He spun it again.

And again.

Sobs racked his body. His chest quivered as a weight seemed to fall from his shoulders. The pain of his past crumbled behind him. Darkstalker was pure, he was good; it's all he ever wanted to be. "I did it, Moon… and Clearsight… and Fathom… and… Indigo."

"She'd be proud of you, you know. They'd all be," a familiar voice shouted out. "I'd be too."

A small smile formed on Darkstalker's lips. "You aren't?"

"I'm your mother, it's my job to be the face of raging disapproval." Foeslayer— _no, actually. Hope is her name, just like mine is… just like mine is Peacemaker. I've decided who I want to be._ "Or maybe I'm just cruel."

"I'm pretty sure this is the time you're supposed to say 'I love you' and everything gets super sappy, though if you could keep it to a minimum, that'd be better."

"Go on and hold your breath, then watch as I dance over your grave."

"To dance implies your hips still can function."

"You try being placed in an ice cube for millennia and tell me how you feel."

"Try having a mountain as your ball and chain."

"Just like you to sleep past a couple hundred thousand breakfasts, what, did the alarm clock break?"

"Hope, we didn't have alarm clocks back then, and even if we did, I'd never get up anyways. You never were that great of a cook."

"Calling me 'Hope' now are we?"

Peacemaker sighed, "It's who you are. Tell me, do you want to be anybody else."

A whistle drifted through the air. "No, I guess not. So, where does this leave us?"

A smile graced his lips, bittersweet but quickly rising to one of warmth. "Peacemaker, definitely Peacemaker."

An incantation started to form within his mind.

* * *

Stumbling over the overgrowth, as he always did, Peacemaker moved through the jungle. The overgrowth grasped his claws and tail as he moved past. The heat pressed on him, his Rainwing scales soaking in whatever sunlight they could. It always invigorated him.

The hybrid pushed himself through the forest, filled with an odd sort of joy. He didn't know where it'd originated from, but he couldn't push the feeling away. Something had happened today, even if his memory of such an important event was blank.

Peacemaker pushed the thoughts back, though he still reveled in the odd emotion that clung to him; acceptance and unperturbed bliss radiated off of him, clearly displayed in his scales. He always looked like a nebula when in such a state. His black Nightwing scales clashing with the few emotionally sensitive Rainwing scales scattered across his body. The colors drifted through a dark canvas. It'd earned him quite the reputation with some of the more look-sensitive Rainwings, and some had even tried to mimic his scale patterns, though to little avail.

He stumbled his way through the forest like this. Every wild creature paused to look at him passing, captivated by his color palette. Peacemaker paid them little heed though, pushing through the forest for Treedancer.

A small gathering of strawberries hung in a basket to his side; the berries themselves looked delicious, perhaps even his best picking yet, some would even say they looked enchanted. Peacemaker knew better. He was no animus.

* * *

Her claws dripped with ink, her calligraphy forming below her upon worn paper. The tome she'd been writing, her own words filling many pages, was something special to her. Something special to all of her friends too, as they'd been helping her with the content. _The Prophecy of Jade Mountain_ was a non-fictional piece which sought to tell the most accurate version of the events which saved the academy from certain ruin.

Moonwatcher smiled, they'd all been through so much, but they were still friends. She'd reestablished contact with Winter, who'd been heartbroken but found a place somewhere else. Lynx was her name, Moon believed. She'd even been able to see Darkstalker in a way, through Peacemaker that is.

The story below her was in some ways a tragedy; she'd cared for him. Some part of her wanted to see Darkstalker's sly grin again, though she pushed the desire back. Peacemaker was happy, and that'd have to be enough for her.

A quiet snore rose through the library, and Moonwatcher smiled. Qibli sat in the corner, his face squashed against some novel. Years ago they'd made their first nervous kiss in the Sandwing Palace, though now they expected a dragonet. The egg was laid, and all they had to do was wait. Moon couldn't hold back an expectant smile and little squeal.

Another snore passed through the small room. A cackling from the fireplace was the only other sound present. The light illuminated Qibli's rising chest, breaths calm. For a second though, a second light shone through the room as a green flame came into existence ahead of Moon.

She blinked in wonder as a scroll dropped in front of her. Moon stared for a second before reaching out to grasp the object before unrolling it delicately. Terrible talon print, which Moon took only a second to recognize from a certain talisman, was scribbled across the surface. A bittersweet smile came over her face as her eyes scanned the paper.

 _Moonwatcher,_

 _How long ago was the last time we traded words? Twenty years perhaps? I don't know, and honestly, it's not important. What I wanted to tell you was that I forgive you, if you feel any guilt that is, and something tells me you probably do, even after all of these years. I forgive you for whatever it is that ails your mind. Also, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being able to see it, to see what I've done and who I've harmed._

 _Funny how sometimes what seems obvious to one can be so difficult to see for another... I actually wish to thank you for what you did. Being Peacemaker has given me something I could never have had before: a soul. If you don't know what I mean by that, check wherever Turtle is and ask for my soul reader. You'll understand._

 _I got married today, by the way; the implications of that are still running through my mind (accept this as an early invitation to the events, whenever Treedancer and I plan to have them). Oh, and make sure not to mention this letter; I don't believe Peacemaker will remember writing it._

 _I can't help but wonder what'll we'll name our dragonets when we have some. Maybe it's about time my wife and I go a few names (while my writing here is a little monotone, trust me, I'm actually holding back a river of giddiness). On the topic of marriage and hatchlings, how's your relationship with Qibli going? I remember on your last visit with the tribe, you'd been planning to spawn some hatchlings. So, has it happened yet? I… I hope everything has been going alright for you._

 _We've changed so much as time has, and so much has passed. I still can't help but wonder what would've happened if I'd just accepted your offer for repentance all those years ago. I do love Treedancer, but back then, I'd had my eyes set on someone else…._

 _Anyways, I hoped just to wish you good luck in life. And, again, thank you and I forgive you. You've given me much._

 _My time as Darkstalker has come to a close and I wish to return to my wife. I've made a spell, which I've printed below for your review. Please check it for any flaws; there shouldn't be any, but even I make… even I make mistakes._

 _Goodbye… I love you._

" _I enchant the earring to lose all of its magical capabilities while retaining the lustrous quality of a magicked item. I enchant myself, when I finish speaking, to be relieved of all of Darkstalker's memories, from the time of his birth to his turning to a dragonet by the talons of Kinkajou. Also, erase the memories from when I wore Qibli's enchanted earring to now when I'm finished speaking. Finally, transfigure myself into Peacemaker's hybrid form with no animus ability… also... enchant the small vine basket's contents to become the most delicious berries possible. Goodbye, Clearsight, and... goodbye Moon."_

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Author Notes:

*Begs for reviews*


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